20 Questions with Turbine about Helm’s Deep Proper

Before Yesterday when someone talked about big battles in LOTRO, they were usually talking about some of the big battles made possible with the PvMP system.  The term “big battles” is now linked with the new system that will be launching with Helm’s Deep.  To help us understand this new system Turbine has released another 20 questions.

Q1: What are “Big Battles” and what do you mean by “big”? How many active enemies will be involved?
Q2: Why the change from traditional instance clusters to this new system?
The Battle for Helm’s Deep is a new style of instance content. A brand new system is being utilized to create the Helm’s Deep experience in the way we feel it deserves, and demands, to be presented. It was clear from the start that in order to present the scope and measure of full throated war, we could not simply build instance, skirmish, and/or raid content in the fashion we had always done with the same tools we had been using.
We spent a lot of time at the drawing board and flipped the script on our overall way of thinking and approach. We asked ourselves not “What can we make with the pieces we have?” but instead “What pieces do we need to make what we want?” We shifted the narrative so that instead of asking ourselves “Why?” we asked “Why not?”
To do it justice, we had to innovate and make something new and unique that pushed on all the boundaries:

• The visual and aesthetic experience
• The moment to moment gameplay
• The strategic and tactical decisions that need to be made
• The definitions of victory and defeat and how those are measured and rewarded
• The way the player interacts with the objects and environment in meaningful ways
• The way players interact with each other and the decisions that prompts
• How those objects and environment interact back
• How non-cap characters get into the system and what allows them to have a satisfying experience
• The choices and options presented to the player to allow them to approach the battle and the decisions to be made in the manner of their choosing.

While they don’t ever give exact numbers on how big these battles will be, this is still really exciting.  I am really glad they have created a new system to deal with these large battles instead of trying to fit it into an existing system.  I am glad Turbine seems to be really thinking this new system out and really trying to make Helm’s Deep be awesome.

Q3: Can a level 10 character group with a level 95 character in a Battle?
Q4: How can a level 10 character hope to contribute successfully to the Battle?

The Battle for Helm’s Deep utilizes a new feature called Character Upscaling. When you join an instance in the Battle for Helm’s Deep we scale your character’s stats and skills to level 95. Your equipment is scaled as well, with the level differential between you and the equipment being maintained through the upscaling.
With everyone now being the same level, 95, groups can be assembled from anyone on the server available to play. While an upscaled 95 will be less powerful than a true 95, through the Medals system they will still be able to meaningfully contribute.

This is great news!  With ESO bringing a similar feature at launch, I am glad to see LOTRO and other MMO’s implementing features like this.  If LOTRO is your first MMO, even having hope of getting to 95 is amazing.  It seems like it is a really long way and for many players it is.  This is a great option to allow new players to join with their older leveled friends in the great new end-game content.  Helm’s Deep is likely to bring a lot of new players to LOTRO and it is great to know they can get right into the action.

Q5: Do Big Battles support traditional group sizes? What about solo and duo players?
Q6: Will group instances be different from the solo and duo instances or is it all scaled like in the past?

Each instance in the Battle for Helm’s Deep has a solo option by default. The solo option allows two players to be in the instance together, but does not increase its difficulty when the second player joins. Select instances of the battle will also feature certain group sizes as options, either 3, 6, or 12. The group version is a completely different space from the solo and has been handcrafted to be suitable for that player count.

It is good to know that there is an option to be the sole hero of Helm’s Deep but I find it weird that the difficulty does not change when you add in a second player.  Are the battles scaled for two people and you can do it with one or are they scaled to be solo and you can do them with two.  Either way I think it can create boredom because the content could be too easy.  That being said, it is good to know that their is raid sized content at Helm’s Deep. It is also interesting that they said the group content is “a completely different space”.  I am really excited to see how this will work!

Q7: Do Big Battles use the same “Tier” system (I, II, IIc) as traditional raids?
Q8: Are Big Battles Tier’d like current skirms & raids? Do they get Progessively more difficult or do we just wash, rinse & repeat?

The Battle for Helm’s Deep only has one difficulty tier, however through the new Medals system we are able to judge how well you do at a given objective within the space and modify rewards based on having done better or worse at it. This creates a variable difficulty system the user can control on the fly as they are able to attempt more or less of the scoring criteria. The more of the criteria you do, the higher your reward, but the more difficult it is to succeed.

I kind of wish there were difficulty tiers but if getting all the criteria means it is harder content then that is ok.  I do wish though they had a difficulty tier.  It is good though that there are optional criteria that will change the reward.  This sounds a lot like encounters in skirmishes, just on a much larger scale.

Q9: What are the differences between Big Battles & Traditional Raids?

Traditional Raids and Instance content focuses on the player and his group versus the boss and enemies. The primary goal and direct focus of both sides is purely to kill the other. In the Battle for Helm’s Deep the enemies goal is to tear down the walls, destroy the fortress, and slaughter everyone within. It is the complete and utter destruction of Rohan. The players are another enemy on the wall that need to be killed along the way, not the primary focus of the enemies efforts.
Within traditional raids all players are focused on the boss and any adds. This typically happens with everyone being bunched up together in the same 20 square meters and the majority of players attacking the same target. The Battle for Helm’s Deep requires groups to work together, communicate and coordinate at a larger strategic and tactical level. To find the greatest success and reward, the group will have to split up and be in several locations across Helm’s Deep dealing with multiple goals and a variety of challenges, yet still all be working together and coordinating on the larger objectives.

This sounds amazing.  I think this question gives us the greatest detail as to what Big Battles actually are.  I am glad that there are actual objectives that both sides have.  This extends the immersion and makes the world feel like a much more believable place.  Also it will be a lot of fun to defend against “utter destruction”.  The thing I am most glad about is that the player is just another enemy.  This implies that there are a ton of NPC’s that will be in the battle.  It is great that we are no longer the main focus of battle like we have been for the entire game.

As a strategy game enthusiast and PvMP group leader, I am really glad that combat is finally getting tactical and strategic importance.  It also sounds interesting that we will be dividing into groups to complete small and large objectives.  I think this will really help make the battle feel a lot more realistic.

Q10: Will Helm’s Deep also feature traditional boss progression style group content?

No. Helm’s Deep instance content is being represented fully with the Big Battles system.

Feed the trolls.

Q13: How will Big Battles fit in with the storyline of Helm’s Deep? Will participation in Big Battles be required to complete the storyline or is this an optional system?

The Battle for Helm’s Deep will be integrated into the Western Rohan epic in much the way skirmishes were for Mirkwood. The epic will also have its own content for Helm’s Deep, fleshing out many more focused details of the characters and events during and related to the battle.

I am so excited about this!  I loved the way the skirmish system was worked into the EPIC Story in Mirkwood and I can’t wait to see how they improve on the implementation of a system like this several years later.  I am also glad there will be more focused parts of the Helm’s Deep story because I think it is needed to tell a good story.

Q14: Will I be able to Play My character or is it more inline with how Monster Play Work?

You always play your character in the instances in the Battle for Helm’s Deep. There is no session play involved with the system.

Glad that rumor is put to rest.

Q15: How much time should be budgeted to participate in a Big Battle? Twenty minutes? An Hour?

The goal is the solo spaces clock in at no more than half an hour, with group spaces not running longer than an hour max.

This is about the time it takes me to do a skirmish.  I am not sure how I feel about this length but I guess I will have to play it before I can make a good decision but right now it seems a little short.

Q16: How often can they be repeated? Are there “locks” to cool down?

As of now there are no locks within the Battle for Helm’s Deep, they can replayed as often as the player desires. We’ll be monitoring whether or not they’re required throughout balance, testing, and feedback.

They do know modern game design!  See I told you!

Q17: How are rewards (loot) distributed?

As players obtain Medals for the various objectives throughout the Battle for Helm’s Deep they will earn class based rewards. The higher the quality of the medals earned, the better the quality of the rewards earned. It will also utilize the Marks, Medallions and Seals system.

While I am not so happy about yet another currency, it is good to know it will also be using current currency.

Q20: Is it a PvP Type Structure where we can eventually see PvP added to the model?

No. Big Battles has been designed and implemented as a purely PvE system

I am not surprised at all about this answer but there is one thing I hope they take from this system.  That is the auto-level feature.  Make Freeps level to 95 so even a level 10 can participate.  I think it would be a good addition to the system.

Also Sapience answered an interesting bonus question…

 Originally Posted by Fredelas

Can players obtain adequate performance in Big Battles on a computer with LOTRO’s current minimum and recommended system requirements?Do the developers frequently test their work on systems with these specifications?

We are currently in the process of reviewing our minimum and recommended specs. It has been clear since Moria instruduced a heavy physics hit that the specs may need to be adjusted and Rohan made it more clear. As Helms deep uses a combination of these techs, we felt it was the right time to revisit those requirements. We expect to have information on that in the near future.

While he does say later on that the changes to the minimum requirements will likely be small, it is still an important concern by players on the low end.  Sapience did suggest that the new requirements will be posted before pre-order but it is not certain.  This does however suggest that pre-order is likely not right around the corner.

These are all of the questions I thought were important.  I was really amazed by the amount of information we have actually received from a 20 questions segment.  Normally these segments have hardly anything but thankfully we are finally getting major information.  Thank you if you have stuck around through this long article and I will see you all in Helm’s Deep (assuming you are all over level 10).